A computer network is a collection of interconnected computing devices that exchange data and share resources. Examples of network devices include routers, switches, firewalls, VPN appliances and security devices.
Administrators configure, manage, and otherwise interact with network devices to ensure and monitor network operation. For example, an administrator may interact with a router via a client device (e.g., a management device) to set various configuration parameters and to collect and view current settings and statistics. In many cases, a router will output rich and voluminous data to a requesting client device, thus providing a complete response to the request.
Network devices in general, and routers in particular, are becoming more and more powerful and versatile in terms of their performance and capabilities. In turn, these network devices are gaining complexity in their architecture, operation, and functionality. As a result, tasks such as configuring and managing these network devices are also becoming more complex and intricate.